Thankful For Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving weekend was everything I had hoped it would be and more.  I worked for a few hours on Wednesday morning and then hurried home to pack up the car and our very excited kids. Brees welcomed me at the door and said, "We're going on a trip and we're going to have snacks!!". Our first road trip with baby River and the kids all did great, sleeping most of the way and only requiring one rest stop.  We traveled to north Louisiana to spend the holiday with aunts and uncles and cousins: a weekend I've been looking forward to for a long time.  We don't get together as much as we would like to lately, never enough hours in the day, too many commitments that keep us all busier than we would really like to be.  A four and a half day weekend to focus on family was exactly what the doctor ordered.

My cousin hosted a beautiful Thanksgiving dinner that started at 11 in the morning and lasted until well past my bedtime.  We spent the whole day together eating fried turkey, honey baked ham, homemade mac'n'cheese, cornbread dressing, homemade bread, green bean casserole, and a cheesecake I am still dreaming about.  We snuggled up by the fire and watched football, enjoyed good conversation, took little cat naps, and then ate again.  Baby River was passed from one set of loving arms to another, my gratitude for our newborn son growing more and more as I watched him smile and coo at each member of our family. It was a big, loud, long day filled with so much love, I though I might actually burst.

We slept in on Friday and had a nice big breakfast before setting out for an early afternoon shopping trip.  I am not a big fan of Black Friday crowds but we were able to hit some of our favorite spots and cross a few things off our lists, all without waiting in crazy lines. We reluctantly kissed our cousins goodbye after an awesome weekend together and made it home with our hearts full of new memories. It was nice to be home after a few days away, the perspective we gained from stepping out of our routine shining through, making everything bright again.  It was a great weekend filled with the people we love: we slowed down, held hands, said thank you.  We laughed really hard and really loud, told old stories and made new ones.  This is what the holiday season is all about and I'd say we're off to a pretty good start.

Give Thanks

Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday.  I love the four day weekend, the delicious food, the beautiful fall weather.  I love getting together with family, watching football, taking a long afternoon nap. Thanksgiving feels like the simpler, slower version of Christmas, the calm before the shopping and gift giving storm.  It is a chance to just get together and BE, to reflect on the happiness and love in our lives, to recognize each other and the important things we are all experiencing.  It is a beautiful holiday.

We've been busy all week getting ready for our Thanksgiving weekend road trip.  We are traveling to north Louisiana to spend the holiday with my aunts and uncles and cousins and we are all so excited for a change of scenery.  It will be baby River's first road trip and I have high hopes for my sweet and peaceful boy.  We tackled several projects around the house this week including rearranging our living room furniture and FINALLY opening up our fireplace.  When we moved into our house 4 years ago, we placed the TV on the fireplace "temporarily", planning to hang it above the mantel "eventually".  Cut to FOUR years later and the TV was still sitting on the fireplace, preventing us from ever lighting fires and using this beautiful feature in our home.  Isabelle has been begging us to rearrange and move the room around to remedy this situation and Shawn and my Dad finally came through.  I came home from work one afternoon and noticed smoke coming out of the chimney, pleasantly surprised to walk in and find the room looking completely different and a fire roaring in the fireplace.  We've spent the last week obsessing over the whole thing, putting down a new rug, watching movies all cuddled up, and completely loving the warmth of the fire.  Thank you, Isabelle, for making us get our butts in gear. This was our best home improvement project yet!

We spent the afternoon making handprint turkeys, the kind of craft that meets all of my crafting criteria: requires 3 or less supplies, takes less than 10 minutes, doesn't destroy the house in the process. A crafter I am not but I do try to find little projects that the kids and I can do together, added bonus for preserving memories in the form of handprints.  This kept them busy and happy and River woke up from his nap just in time to make his own little turkey. We hung them on the door in the kitchen and they go perfectly with the pumpkin spice scented candles, the fire burning in the den, the big blankets laid out on the sofa, the cookies baking in the oven, and the chili cooking on the stove: everything fall and warm and cozy.

This holiday season, I want my family to really focus not on the things, but on the people.  I want us all to spend more time saying "thank you" instead of "I want".  I want us to give more than we receive. Together is all we ever need.

   

Escape and Give Thanks

Last week, we took advantage of the long Thanksgiving weekend and got away.  We
packed up the truck and drove to the beach, enjoying a much needed break with some of
our best friends.  It took a full hour from the time I first said "We're ready, let's go!" until
we actually pulled out of the driveway: we forgot our sunglasses, Belle's favorite barbie,
you name it.  Shawn finally threw me in the truck after finding me in the house, wiping
down the countertops one last time.  Let it go, Liv, it's time to roll.

And roll we did.  We spent 4 glorious days laughing and playing with lifelong
friends, watching our babies build on the friendship we started so many years ago.
Cara cooked a big turkey dinner and, despite her protests for me to relax, I snuck in
my family's beloved macaroni and cheese.  The weather was beautiful and we ate our
big meal outdoors under the warm Florida sun.

We skipped out on the early morning Black Friday shopping craziness and hit the 
beach instead.  The water was just warm enough to get your feet wet which, to the 
kids, meant GO FOR IT!  Little ones have no fear of cold water.  We buried them in 
the white sand, played football, and enjoyed having the big open space to ourselves.  After 
a leftover turkey sandwich lunch, we put the babies and the daddies down for naps and 
Cara and I went out for a little shopping.  The crowds had died down and we were able 
to score some amazing deals and quite a few chocolate chip cookies as well.  

It was a fantastic weekend: we were able to go out on a double date sans kids, we ate 
more fudge than should be humanly possible, and I took my first deep breathe in a long 
time.  It was the break we've been needing without knowing we needed it.  
There's something so magical about a roadtrip, the healing power found in a change 
of scenery.  We have so much to be thankful for.